Murder in the Library is the second Julia Bird village cozy mystery by Katie Gayle. Released 7th Sept 2022, it's 250 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other two books in the series are also currently available on KU.
This is such an engaging modern village cozy with a genuinely appealing female amateur sleuth who's late middle-aged, intelligent and earnest, and generally well meaning. Despite a long career in social services in London, a recent divorce (her husband married their (male) gardener), and other major curveballs, she maintains a mostly positive outlook on life. Having acquired a cozy cottage in a cozy village in the Cotswolds, she's ready for the next adventure which includes a cozy garden with some chickens. A short time after solving a cold-case disappearance murder, she's drawn into crime again with the sudden, violent death of a famous author originally from the village who has returned to his roots for a reading and scandalous hints of a tell-all book.
The author has a deft touch with humour and there were lots of scenes which surprised a grin or giggle out of me. The characters are well rendered and (mostly) believable within the allowable framework of the genre. I was particularly impressed by the dialogue which flows well and freely. The usual small town eccentric characters are present and the plot moves along at a good pace.
I also liked that instead of the usual trope-y antagonistic and incompetent local police force, protagonist Julia has an unexpected ally in the form of young DI Hayley Gibson. They strike up a surprisingly good cooperation again and make a good team.
The main mystery is self contained in this volume, so it works well as a standalone. There are currently three books extant in the series making it a good candidate for a long weekend binge read or buddy read. Genuinely well written and fun to read.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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